The best dog gates to buy in 2024

While we all love our dogs, we don’t always want them having free run of our homes. Sometimes, you might need to keep them in a separate area when you have guests, or you want to keep some rooms as entirely dog-free spaces. This is where dog gates come in useful, as they allow you keep your pet in a separate area without relying on closed doors.

If you’re looking to invest in a new dog gate, we’ve tested several to find the best ones on the market that will keep your dog confined to a safe space and out of harm’s way.

Best dog gates: At a glance

How to choose the best dog gate for you

Why might I need a dog gate?

Dog gates can be useful for a variety of reasons. They’re an excellent tool for training puppies to cope with separation from their owners, and can be useful for toilet training, too.

You might also need one to keep your pooch away from children, guests or other animals, and if you want certain rooms in your house to remain dog-free areas.

Certain dog gate designs are also useful for keeping your pet safe around the front door, especially if you don’t have a separate porch and your door opens right out onto a road.

What tools do I need to install a dog gate?

Be sure to read all the instructions before you try to install your dog gate, as you might need several different tools. Most dog gates can be fixed to walls and door frames using a screwdriver, though you’ll likely want to use a drill to make holes first for ease.

If you have an electric screwdriver, it will make the entire fitting process much simpler. Don’t forget to use a tape measure and pencil to ensure your fixings are at an equal height on both sides of the door frame, too.

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The best dog gates to buy in 2024

1. Pets at Home Extra Tall Double Panel Dog Gate: Best all-rounder

Price when reviewed: £52 | Check price at Pets at Home

This dog gate is probably the sturdiest on this list, making it an excellent choice for any size pet from Great Danes to Chihuahuas. This gate is also the best choice for dog owners who will need to use it relatively frequently, as while it can be stored away, it’s a fairly bulky, heavy design and it won’t necessarily fit neatly into a cupboard.

Fixing this gate to the doorway is easy: it comes with four wall brackets, two for each side, which can be screwed into the door frame using a screwdriver (you’ll likely need to make holes with a drill first). The gate then slots into the brackets simply, and can be easily removed when necessary, too.

This gate doesn’t have a door-style system like many other designs, meaning once on the brackets it stays closed – to open up the doorway you must remove it from its brackets. The gate is 105cm high, which might mean it’s not entirely suitable for dogs with good jumping skills, but it’s adjustable in width, meaning it can fit any doorway from 62.5cm to 107cm wide.

Key features – Height: 105cm; Width: 62.5 to 107cm; Colour: Black; Fixings included: Yes

2. Dog G8: Best dog gate for the front door

Price when reviewed: From £70 | Check price at Dog G8

Normal dog gates are rarely practical to fit to a front door, as they can often make it difficult to either keep the door open or closed, especially if you’ve limited space. This is where the Dog G8 comes in – this genius concertina design means it can be fixed to your front door so that as you open the door, the gate expands across the gap and creates a barrier so your dog can’t escape while you’re chatting to your visitor.

Once you close the door, you can stow the gate away using the concertina technology, and you can easily unhook it from the front door to open it fully and step outside.

You might recognise this dog gate from hit TV series Dragon’s Den, where its inventors instigated a bidding war between Sara Davies and Deborah Meaden, or from Tiktok, where videos of the product amassed over 27 million views when it was first launched.

This is, by a country mile, the best dog gate for keeping your pooch safe around the front door and has been used by thousands of people.
The gate comes in two different heights – 88cm or 120cm – and has three different widths (52cm, 62cm and 72cm), though sections can be removed and added to make it any width you want. It comes in a clean-looking chrome finish or in white for an extra £10.

Features – Height: 88 or 120cm; Width: 52 to 72cm; Colour: Chrome or white; Fixings included: Yes

3. Dog G8 Plus: Best dog gate you can store away

Price when reviewed: From £100 | Check price at Dog G8

Similar to the original Dog G8, but with more sections for added width, this “Plus” version is an excellent option for anyone who doesn’t want their doorways permanently obstructed.

The smooth concertina mechanism is a genius space-saving tool, meaning it’s easy to store the gate out of the way when not in use. This model even comes with a small grey or white cover for the top (depending on the finish you decide on) to keep it all neatly folded back when not in use.

Fixing the dog gate to the doorway or stairway is supremely easy, as it either comes with 3M sticky-back pads, or you can use the four screws (two on each side) to fix it to the door frame – or one side of the bannisters.

With only two fixings on each side, it might not be the most robust option if you have particularly heavy dogs that might be tempted to launch themselves at it or put all their weight on top of it, but providing you install the gate so it sits on the floor, doing so should mean that it’s secure enough for most breeds.

The concertina mechanism is easy to pull out for use, but it does require a little extra care when putting away as it doesn’t naturally fold in the most efficient way when storing. It can also be a little bit fiddly to secure the dog gate shut as you have to line up two metal rods into narrow holes, but once you get the hang of this it’s quite simple.

When stored, the Dog G8 Plus takes up very little room in the doorway so it’s perfect for homes with limited space or those who won’t need it closed permanently. As with the smaller G8 model above, it’s available in chrome or a white finish for an extra £10.

Features – Height: 88 or 120cm; Width: 93.5 or 103cm; Colour: Chrome or white; Fixings included: Yes